SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs started slow and never really recovered in a 134-101 loss to the Clippers.
Former Spur Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, almost former Spur Marcus Morris had 20, and Los Angeles outscored San Antonio by 30 from beyond the arc. Coach Popovich pulled the plug early and rested his starters for the back-to-back against this team tomorrow night. One of the only bright spots was Luka Samanic tying his career-high with 14 points.
"I think he's beginning to prove himself deserving of time," Popovich said of the 6'11" second-year player in a rare case where he shared his thoughts on minutes, and through a genuine compliment no less.
"He's played well, he's got more confident, he's a good athlete with good size, so hopefully he'll continue to improve."
Samanic spoke after the game about his career night, and early growth in his young career so far. He said it was great to play against a talented team like the Clippers, as he switched from scorer to scorer defensively and even finished over Kawhi at the rim as he showed off his own scoring ability. He credited his time in the G League with helping him grow and prepare for an NBA role.
"Just work hard and wait for opportunity, that's where confidence comes," he said.
Dejounte Murray spoke after the game about how development is a slow process in San Antonio and Austin, and that everyone here has been through those early stages, but his confidence is already there.
"He's gonna shoot it if he's open, he's gonna drive it, he's gonna pass it, he's gonna try to play hard, and he told me that," said Murray, who was once a 19-year-old draft pick in San Antonio himself.
"I was happy when he said that, cause a lot of guys that young that come here or in the league or in general, they could just be nervous to do anything so to see him have that confidence is big for him in his development," he said.
Now 24 and one of the team's top players, Murray felt the love from fans this week as the sold out pairs of his Fiesta-colored New Balances got delivered. He tried to give that love back, liking posts on social media.
"I know how much the fans - real fans, there's a bunch of fake fans out there that don't stick with people through the bad, you've gotta be with people through the good and bad and support - so I respect and salute all the ones who go though it with us as individuals or the team, good or bad, so I try to support all the real ones and I appreciate their support," he said.
"It's not about the money or the sales, it's about showing love and showing that I honor the history," he said.
As far as the game and the result, Murray said they needed to bring more focus defensively and play more freely offensively in the next game, but noted that the back-to-back set against the same team gives everyone a chance to recalibrate and adjust.
Coach Pop summed up those adjustments in the simple, cryptic, dismissive way that he does so well.
"Try to do whatever we were doing tonight a little bit better," Popovich said.
Live blog
Fourth quarter
Luka Samanic showed some nice flashes on both ends, but the Clippers built their lead out to 20 at the start of the fourth.
Patty Mills hit a three, giving him 17, but San Antonio's defense was overmatched in every quarter. Coach Popovich took a timeout down 111-88 with over 8 minutes to play.
With a game against this same team tomorrow night, already short a few guys, Pop pulled the plug early and gave the bench guys some run.
Samanic came back in, drove in pick and roll, pulled up from the elbow and nailed it. He ran the floor in transition and finished past Kawhi, tying his career-high with 14 points. He bounced a lead pass to Devin Vassell for a dunk in transition, but the Clippers never stopped scoring.
Kawhi finished with 25 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, and 5 steals in 32 minutes. Marcus Morris exited with 20 points, hitting 5-7 from deep. Paul George added 17 points, and Lou Williams had 16 off the bench.
San Antonio's offense sputtered for the final time of the evening, and the defense gave up over 30 points for the third quarter in the game.
Third quarter
Jakob Poeltl opened the second half with a couple of rolling floaters inside. The Clippers forced a few turnovers, got a few favorable bounces, and pushed the lead back to 18.
The Spurs struggled to run their offensive sets through tough defense by Los Angeles, and the Clippers shooters looked too crisp to miss. Derrick White drew three free throws, the Spurs strung a few stops together, and Poeltl hit another pop-a-shot in close.
DeMar posted up for a tough hook shot in the paint, emblematic of the kind of shots Los Angeles forced the Spurs to take.
Dejounte Murray made a backdoor cut and finished a feed from Poeltl, drawing a foul on the reverse.
Morris finally missed a three, but got the board and put it back in. Every time the Spurs got a bucket, the Clippers got one back to stop any momentum from forming.
Kawhi drilled a three with a hand in his face, giving him 23 points.
Derrick White drove in for an and-1, then found Trey Lyles who drove and hit free throws. Nic Batum hit a corner three, putting LA up 19.
Luka Samanic caught at the arc, faked, drove on Kawhi, and finished with a slow-motion euro over him.
San Antonio got a few stops, and Patty Mills hit a three and a driving layup. He missed a deep three, but Samanic put it back to cut it to 14.
The Spurs gave up a layup inside, turned it over a few times, gave up a pull-up jumper to Lou Williams, and trailed 102-84 heading to the fourth.
Second quarter
Dejounte Murray opened the second period with a three to cut the Clippers' lead back down to single digits.
Derrick White showed off some of his playmaking ability in the pick and roll, crossing over and hitting the jets, looping back into the paint, and bursting past the big man for a crafty scoop layup.
Luka Samanic hasn't played much since players got back from coronavirus absences, but started the second quarter and made an immediate impact with a few buckets in the paint and solid defense.
DeRozan drove in for free throws, then Derrick White drilled a corner three over Kawhi to cut it to five.
A few missed opportunities and rough defensive plays later, LA had pushed their lead back to nine. DeRozan drove in for a tough jumper and created just enough space against Kawhi, hitting inside. Marcus Morris got open in the corner for his fifth triple of the game. Leonard got a second-chance reverse dunk, and dropped a pass to Ivica Zubac for another dunk to make it 12.
Patty Mills pulled up and hit from mid-range and DeMar drove through Morris and Zubac for a euro-step and-1.
The Clippers got a layup and then Batum forced a turnover on the next inbound, hitting a corner three on the stolen possession. Kawhi isolated, drove, pulled up and hit a J to put the Clippers up 67-53 at the break.
First quarter
San Antonio got into an early hole as the Clippers built an 11-2 lead, starting with a steal and transition bucket from Kawhi Leonard, who did that in a Spurs uniform a time or two.
The Spurs struggled to score as former almost-Spur Marcus Morris hit three triples to start the game.
Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson and DeMar DeRozan all scored, but the Spurs called timeout down 16-7.
Derrick White tried to draw a charge on Paul George but didn't get the call, and he swung the ball to Kawhi in the corner for an easy three. DeRozan scored with a pump fake in the paint, but the Spurs had already fallen behind by a dozen in the first five minutes.
A 12-2 run put LA up 14, and DeRozan got to his spots but couldn't convert. The Clippers called timeout after Derrick drove in transition, zipping past George for a dunk.
Morris hit his fourth triple of the game, Kawhi drove in for an and-1, then got easy free throws, pushing LA to a 33-15 lead. Patty Mills knocked down a triple to cut it to 18, but Nic Batum answered.
Rookie Devin Vassell knocked down a triple, but Kawhi came down and dunked all over Dejounte. Murray made up for it on the other end, forcing a steal that led to a transition bucket for Keldon. Vassell stopped Morris in the post, then Murray drove methodically for a tough bucket inside.
The Spurs pressed and Vassell blocked a corner three, then Jakob Poeltl swatted a shot inside and finished a layup on the other end. Dejounte poked in for a steal and made it an 8-0 run for San Antonio, but Lou Williams ended the quarter on an and-1 to make it 41-29 Clippers after the first.
Pregame
When, where: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., San Antonio
All-time series record: Spurs lead 130-45
Last season: Clippers won 3-1
Season series: Spurs lead, 1-0
Last meeting: Spurs won 116-113, January 6, 2021
Clippers' last game: Won vs. Hawks, 119-110
Spurs' last game: Lost vs. Hornets, 100-97
Clippers' last 10 games/streak: 5-5, won 2
Spurs' last 10 games/streak: 5-5, lost 2
Clippers' injury/inactive report: Serge Ibaka: OUT (back); Patrick Beverly: OUT (knee).
Spurs' injury/inactive report: Lonnie Walker IV, OUT (wrist); Rudy Gay, OUT (foot); Keita Bates-Diop, OUT (hamstring).
The Spurs are looking at their two toughest games of a nine-game homestand as they gear up to play the Clippers on back-to-back nights.
It's DJ Rudy Gay bobblehead night in San Antonio, but the man of honor is out with a sore foot, along with Lonnie Walker IV. Gay's name has been tossed around in trade rumors with the deadline tomorrow, but the Spurs aren't known for deadline deals.
When asked about that, coach Gregg Popovich said he pretty much expects to have the same roster when they play tomorrow.
It cuts both ways, it depends on how the team is playing, what the needs are, if there's anything glaring, we've historically not done a lot at the trade deadline, but when we have it's been meaningful. I remember one year Nazr Mohammed helped us win a championship, and that wasn't something that we expected or planned way ahead of time, it just seemed like we needed another big at the time."
"On the other hand, the continuity, and everybody feeling comfortable with each other, and knowing exactly how you play can be very important too," he said.
He seems to like that about his current group.
"The sticktoitiveness that they have I think has been impressive, starting out with the injuries, and then playing pretty well, COVID hitting them, I think they've stuck together in a way that has developed some camaraderie in difficult circumstances, so I'm very pleased with what they've done," he said.